Webber kept broken shoulder secret

Monday 6 December 2010 16:58 BST

Mark Webber

Mark Webber has revealed he fractured a shoulder when he was within sight of clinching this year's Formula One world title.

Webber sustained the injury with four grands prix remaining, at that stage holding an 11-point lead over Fernando Alonso, while he was 21 clear of Red Bull team-mate and eventual champion Sebastian Vettel.

Writing in his book, Up Front - 2010, A Season To Remeber', Webber said: "On the Sunday morning (a week) before (the Japanese Grand Prix at) Suzuka, I got on a mountain bike for the first time since my accident in Tasmania at the end of 2008. I was riding with a great mate of mine. Suddenly, he crashed right in front of me and I had nowhere to go but straight through the ears of the horse! I suffered what they call a skier's fracture to my right shoulder."

Remarkably, although Webber has confirmed the need for pain-killing injections ahead of the Japanese and Korean Grands Prix, he decided to keep the injury secret from Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. Only those close to him, in particular trainer Roger Cleary and FIA chief medical officer Gary Hartstein, were aware of the break.

"Suzuka is a brutal track so it was a blessing the Japanese weather gave me an enforced rest day on the Saturday (as qualifying was postponed due to rain), and a pre-race injection helped, too," he added. "In the end, we got through the weekend all right."

As Webber remarks, it was his first time back on a bike since his crash in November 2008 when he broke his right leg.

On that occasion Webber also fractured a shoulder, again opting not to reveal details of the injury to the Red Bull hierarchy.

In this instance the injury occurred at a vital point of the year, although he initially performed superbly in Japan where he was a close second to Vettel.

However, Webber then crashed out in atrocious conditions in Korea, losing his championship lead in the bargain to Alonso who went on to win that particular inaugural race.

After again finishing runner-up to Vettel in Brazil, the season ended in bitter disappointment in Abu Dhabi where Webber came home a below-par eighth, his worst result for 15 races.